RJ Spagnols Winery Series Super Tuscan

[Trubador]

I'll be starting this one in the next week or so. I am going to use the Paint Strainer method Dean suggested for the grape skins.


I read over the directions and RJ Spagnols suggests only 6 to 8 days in the primary.


Should I consider leaving the wine and skins in the primary until fermentation is totally completed? 10 to 14 days

 

[Dean]

that all depends on how you are going to treat the wine during primary fermentation. RJS had to change back to a 8 day cycle with skins because too many people were stirring quite well during that phase and when fermentation slows down, they were causing some mild oxidation to occur. What I do to get around that and still follow the 14 day cycle is use an old nylon spoon that I had cut down to fit in my primary. I put the skins in the strainer, then hold them down using the spoon and the lid of the primary. I don't stir at all during the 14 days. I only do occasional checks.

If you are going to do the stir method, then you should rack on day 8.

 

[RickC]

Tell me about the paint strainer method. I have not seen that yet.

 

[v1rotate]

Get a 5 gallon paint strainer bag from the hardware store. Put it in the primary bucket with the top of the bag looped over the lid of the bucket. Pour in the must, add appropriate ingredients per instructions (oak, bentonite, etc) add the crushed grapes/skins, stir, pitch yeast. After primary fermentation, just lift out the bag, squeeze the juice out and rack to secondary!

Note that a 5 gallon strainer bag works well with a 7.9 gal primary, not the larger 10 gallon bucket.

 

[Trubador]

Get a 5 gallon paint strainer bag from the hardware store. Put it in the primary bucket with the top of the bag looped over the lid of the bucket. Pour in the must, add appropriate ingredients per instructions (oak, bentonite, etc) add the crushed grapes/skins, stir, pitch yeast. After primary fermentation, just lift out the bag, squeeze the juice out and rack to secondary!

Note that a 5 gallon strainer bag works well with a 7.9 gal primary, not the larger 10 gallon bucket.

actually, I planned on tying off the bag at the top end and then letting the bag float/sink in the must. Each day i was going to "punch" it down and then as Dean pointed out, rack it on day 8 to avoid too much oxidation.

 

[Frank&Rita]

The Lovely Rita is a red wine drinker and this Super Tuscan is her favorite wine, I don't put the skins in a bag and at 6 days I pour it through a stainless steel strainer into a clean primary and leave it for 2 more weeks, this way since it's not done fermenting it will use up the oxygen I have added to the must. I have been making a lot of the skin kits and do this way now.

 

[vcasey]

I do pretty much the same as Frank and this method works well for me. Keep in mind with very few exceptions most of my wine kits are finished fermenting in 10 days.
VC

 

[grilljockey]

Just started this one tonight and am very intrigued by the initial taste of the juice. I went to my LHBS with the intention of picking up a higher end kit (MM Masters Outback Shiraz) and a lower end kit that I planned to put some of the Cab, Merlot and PS skins which I had frozen from this fall...my first season trying with real grapes.

The proprietor cut me a huge deal which allowed me to upgrade the second kit. She had me try this RJS Supertuscan which was newly fermented and really tasted awesome...lots of pepper. I was so impressed, I decided to buy the RJS Supertuscan and the MM Shiraz...still intending to put some of my frozen skins on the RJS.

Now, after tasting the raw juice, and seeing that the jar of skins that it comes with seems to be much higher quality than I have come to expect (my only comparator being the 'grape jelly' from CC--not a dig at CC as every skins kit I have done with them turned out really well), I think I'll just leave this one alone and do it per instructions.

I have high hopes for this one based on my early tastings.

But now I have the spent skins of 200 lbs of grapes that were frozen and are now thawed that may go to waste.

I may just throw them into the woods behind my house...but I swear, if birds start crapping purple all over my car, I might have to rethink my composting strategy....

 

[Wade E]

I have made this and need to make another as I only have about 5-6 bottles left and everyone who tries this finds it very hard to believe its a kit. I have a few friends who DO NOT MAKE WINE KITS and poop all over the mention of them but I tricked them one day and opened a bottle of this with them and they loved it and then I told them and now most of them make the grape skin kits when grapes are not in season. They were flabbergasted!

 

[grilljockey]

So when does this one really turn into a great wine? 12 months, 18 months? I'm pretty new to this hobby and while I found my other grape skin kits very approachable at about a year, 6 months later and they are really something different and wonderful.Really, after sampling one that was just brand new, it was really nice...maybe a touch thin, but a great flavor profile. Does it change much by the one year mark, or should I try to keep my mitts off it until the 15-18 month mark?

 

[Wade E]

Mine just seems to keep on getting better and its a around 15 months old.

 

[Trubador]

How does this sound as a compromise between the two primary/secondary methods:

put skins in 5-gal paint strainer.Leave in primary and "punch down/mix in wine" daily or twice a day until the specific gravity measures 1.010. At that point, stop opening the primary cover and just let it all sit together until day 14.Transfer at that point and degas etc....

what do you think? best of both worlds?

 

[Wade E]

Thats pretty much what I do. Once fermentation slows down I dont open the lid at all and just get abusive with the primary bucket so as to disturb the skins a little.

 

[Trubador]

Thats pretty much what I do. Once fermentation slows down I dont open the lid at all and just get abusive with the primary bucket so as to disturb the skins a little. 

sometimes a wine can benefit from some "tough love" lol

 

[Wade E]

 

[Trubador]

I decided to put the 5 gallon paint strainer inside the bucket and secure it to the outside of the top of the bucket. Someone suggested that earlier in this thread. Well, it seems to work great.

It seems to give plenty of surface area for the grapes and oak to float in and when they sink, the bottom of the bag is close if not on the bottom of the bucket.

So when clean up comes, I think I just pick out the bag, squeeze, smile and rack.

I am going to go 14 days in the primary. But I won't open the bucket once fermentation stops. I'll just abuse the bucket like Wade suggests.

i have to admit, this was fun making this wine with the grape pack and all. i especially enjoy the look of the wine with the grapes and oak floating on top.

 

[Wade E]

Wait till you finally taste this stuff!

 

[Trubador]

I was thinking the same thing! It'll be a while though.

 

[RickC]

I can't wait tomake a skins kit once it cools down more here in Oklahoma.
Couple morequestions about the 5 gal bags. Can you wash and reuse the bag or is it best to dispose and start with new?


Do you snap the lid down on the bag or just leave it sitting on top?

 

[Trubador]

You probably "could" wash and reuse the bags, but they are like a dollar a piece and the wine does stain them, so it is really not worth the effort. Start with a new one each time.

Right now, I just have the lid on the top loose because I am stirring it/punching down the grape skins twice per day, once in the morning, once in the evening.But once fermentation slows down quite a bit, I am going to snap the lid and then just rock the fermenter once a day or once every couple days.

This is my first skins kit though, so take what I'm doing with a grain of salt